Brighton & Hove Albion will look to build on their dramatic midweek victory when they welcome Premier League leaders Arsenal to the American Express Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side have collected seven points from their opening four league matches, while the Gunners have made a perfect start to their title defence with four victories from four. Brighton head into the meeting with confidence after recovering from two goals down to beat Manchester United 3-2 in the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford on Wednesday, while Arsenal also progressed with a 4-2 victory over Ipswich Town.
The Seagulls began their league campaign with a 4-0 win over Aston Villa before a 4-3 defeat at Chelsea and a 1-1 draw with Leeds United. They returned to winning ways with a 5-0 victory over Coventry City, leaving them with 13 goals from their opening four league games.
The comeback at Old Trafford provided another example of Brighton’s resilience. Hurzeler admitted his side had made mistakes but was pleased with the response.
“We conceded two easy goals, but we stuck to our plan and that was a positive thing,” Hurzeler said.
“When you’re 2-0 down you can go in one direction and say, ‘ok, the game is done,’ and you don’t stick to the plan anymore. Or you have to believe. You have to believe in your teammates. You have to believe in yourself. You have to believe in the match plan and you continue doing it. We won in a deserved way.”
Arsenal arrive having won all four of their league matches, beating Manchester United, Leeds United, Liverpool and Sunderland. They have also recorded a 1-0 Champions League victory over Napoli before their midweek cup success at Ipswich.
Arteta has stressed the difficulty of maintaining such a run in the Premier League.
“We know how complicated it is to win a football match at this level. So, to win seven, it tells a story,” he said.
The Arsenal boss also put his previous disagreement with Hurzeler behind him before Saturday’s meeting, while praising Brighton’s progress.
“That’s all done. That’s all in the past.”
“I have huge respect for Fabian, and what he’s done and what Brighton has done as a club. It’s just remarkable, and tomorrow is going to be a beautiful game to watch, I’m sure.”
Hurzeler has also acknowledged Arsenal’s quality, saying: “I will always share my opinion if I’m asked a question. I congratulated them for being deserved champions. They have started this season very impressively and they are maybe the best team in England, so it is our challenge to compete with them.”
Brighton will be without Femi Azeez until after the international break, while Jaouen Hadjam is able to play despite a knock and Luka Vuskovic is expected to be available after suffering cramp in midweek. Lewis Dunk could also make his 300th Premier League start.
Hurzeler praised the Brighton captain, saying: “That number is very impressive. He is always drives the high standards, so it is a pleasure to work with him as our captain. It’s hard to understand from the outside just how much he wants to give back to Brighton, but his connection with this club is something which drives his whole life.”
For the Gunners, Cristhian Mosquera, Jurrien Timber, Ben White and Piero Hincapie were all described by Arteta as fine, although they would be assessed during the final training session before the match.
Arteta also discussed Viktor Gyokeres, who continues to adapt to the Premier League.
“No, especially in the Premier League he hasn’t played that many minutes. Last week he played in Napoli and he had a good game. It is about moments as well and we need to give him all the support and confidence that he needs because we know the player that we have and that he has the capacity to score goals. We know what he can give to the team,” Arteta said.
Arsenal have conceded just once in their opening four league matches, while Brighton have scored 13 times. The Gunners are also unbeaten in their last six Premier League meetings with Brighton, winning four and drawing two, with their most recent encounter ending in a 1-0 Arsenal victory at the Amex in March 2026.
With Brighton looking to build on their impressive start and Arsenal aiming to maintain their perfect league record, Saturday’s meeting brings together two sides arriving at the Amex with plenty of early-season momentum.
